A week ago Cllr Mary Mitchell (Willesden Green) wrote to to the local following following the murder of Jamal Ringrose, putting it into a wider context and making a number of requests:
Dear DCS Luke Williams, DS Tony Bellis and Insp. Naomi Wilder,
I am writing on behalf of many residents of Willesden Green who have contacted me regarding crime, antisocial behaviour, drug use and drug dealing in the vicinity of Willesden Green and Dollis Hill stations. There is a growing perception, which I share, that our area is not receiving the level of policing attention that residents reasonably expect and deserve. Residents have reported persistent and ongoing concerns including drug dealing, public drug use, antisocial behaviour, intimidation, theft, indecent exposure and violence. Many of these reports relate to the same locations and hotspots, yet residents have seen little evidence of sustained intervention or long-term problem-solving.
While individual operations have taken place, many residents feel that visible policing has diminished and that issues repeatedly return once short-term enforcement activity ends.
These concerns have been brought into sharp focus by a series of serious incidents over the past eight days.
Most tragically, fifteen-year-old Jamal Ringrose lost his life following a stabbing on Dudden Hill Lane. My thoughts are with Jamal's family, friends and the wider community, including the local business owners who came to his aid in the aftermath of the incident, showing the best of our community. I fully recognise that this investigation is ongoing and it would be inappropriate to speculate on the circumstances.
Separately, there have been two further incidents of knife violence in the vicinity of Willesden Green Station and the surrounding alleyways and public spaces that residents have repeatedly identified as locations associated with antisocial behaviour, drug use and criminal activity.
I do not suggest that these incidents can be attributed to any single cause, nor that they are necessarily connected. However, residents are entitled to ask whether longstanding concerns raised over many years have received sufficient attention and whether more proactive intervention could have reduced the conditions in which serious violence is able to emerge.
I therefore welcome your response to the following requests:
1. A commitment to immediate regular high-visibility patrols around Willesden Green Station, Dollis Hill station and adjoining routes
2. Participation in Multi-Agency Operation Walkabouts at an increased frequency when organised by the Council
3. Immediate efforts to reduce staff turnover, provide senior leadership responsibility, and reduce staff abstraction in Willesden Green
4. Formal joint operations between the Metropolitan Police and British Transport Police to tackle drug dealing, violence and antisocial behaviour linked to transport hub, with a greater focus on disrupting drug supply networks and repeat offenders operating within the ward.
5. A ward-level violence reduction strategy, including work with schools, youth services, community groups and local partners to prevent young people becoming involved in crime.
6. Strengthening of the Willesden Green Safer Neighbourhood Ward Panel as a forum for accountability, with a commitment for SNT attendance irrespective of competing priorities, and senior leadership participation.
I intend to share both this letter and your response with residents, as transparency and accountability are essential if public confidence is to be strengthened.
While I have no doubt that individual officers and frontline staff are working hard under considerable pressure, recent events indicate the collective response has not been sufficiently coordinated, sustained or effective.
It seems clear to me that the system as a whole is failing to prevent persistent antisocial behaviour and serious violence, disrupt drug-related criminality, support vulnerable people in crisis, and provide residents with the sense of safety they deserve.
I look forward to your reply and to working constructively with you to ensure that Willesden Green receives sustained attention and long-term solutions.
